Forced love, an inescapable fate

Mu Qingli slept soundly and didn't wake up until noon the next day.

She stretched and felt relaxed all over. She got out of bed, opened the window, and breathed in the morning air. It was a feeling of freedom.

I saw Jiang Ci was already in the yard. He was watering the flowers and plants in the yard. Looking closely, Jiang Ci in the sunlight was a fair and tender handsome boy. Seeing this scene early in the morning was really easy on the eyes.

Just then, bursts of shouting came from outside the yard, as if someone was selling pancakes.

Mu Qingli immediately felt a surge of hunger in her stomach, but before she could move, Jiang Ci looked towards her.

His black and round eyes narrowed slightly and turned into crescents in an instant when he saw Mu Qingli.

"Sister, get up. I bought some pancakes. Come and eat them."

Before she had enough of the pleasing scene, she was met with another gentle and lovely look. Mu Qingli suddenly felt that her life was complete and that it was worth the effort she had put in to bring the person out.

She replied "OK" and hurried to wash her face and rinse her mouth.

When she came out, there were two bowls of white rice porridge and a few golden pancakes on the stone table in the small courtyard. The golden color looked very appetizing.

"Brother, did you make this porridge?"

Smelling the rice aroma of the white porridge, Mu Qingli asked Jiang Ci with a little surprise.

Jiang Ci nodded.

"When I was in the Qi Palace, I always watched Nanny Li cook. After Nanny Li left, I was so hungry that I tried to cook myself. I couldn't cook other kinds of food, but cooking porridge was something I was quite skilled at. After all, at that time, the only food we could find was a small amount of rice. But porridge back then didn't have that much rice; it was mostly water. The winter after Nanny Li left, I relied on the little rice that was left to survive that cold winter."

Jiang Ci seemed to be telling someone else's story, his eyes were still innocent and calm. For a moment, Mu Qingli couldn't bring the white porridge in her hand to her mouth.

Because of Jiang Ci's words, Mu Qingli's originally good mood instantly became much lower.

She didn't know what Jiang Ci had been through at that time. She wanted to comfort him, but she didn't know what to say. What was her original self doing at that time? Presumably, their situations wouldn't be too different.

"It's all over, sister, let's eat. Aren't you still going to take me to school?"

Mu Qingli then forced a smile.

"Okay, we'll go after we finish eating."

But the food in her mouth tasted like chewing wax. She had been thinking about one question: what on earth had her original body done to make the relationship between the two of them reach that point? When she first met Jiang Ci, she felt that Jiang Ci hated her, so she had been trying hard to make up for it during this period of time, and even deliberately tried to please him, just to eliminate the hatred in Jiang Ci's heart. Originally, she thought that Jiang Ci should have let go of the past knot with her, but she didn't expect that he would bring up the previous things again today. It seems that he is not as he appears to be. He looks like he has let go of the grudge, but in fact he has not.

Mu Qingli also reaffirmed her understanding of Jiang Ci. The young man in front of her was not as simple and harmless as he appeared to be. He had a deep mind.

But water can drip on stone, and my kindness towards him will always influence him. It is just a matter of time.

She has the determination and the endurance.

After breakfast, the two went out together again.

Originally, they thought that they were unfamiliar with the place and it would take some effort to get around, but the kindness shown by the people in this small town exceeded Mu Qingli's imagination.

I learned from the old man on the street, the tofu seller, and strangers on the street that there was a school very close to their courtyard that sounded very suitable.

According to everyone's description, she and Jiang Ci quickly found the school, and the teacher inside received them very politely. Originally, they thought that the school might not easily agree to accept Jiang Ci due to his age, but unexpectedly, the teacher took out the book and randomly tested some enlightenment content, and Jiang Ci actually passed. This also means that Jiang Ci can directly skip the enlightenment stage, which is not too late for him at his current age.

Finally, it was decided that Jiang Ci would go to school.

Of course, the tuition fee did not exceed the budget, which was one tael of silver a year. Mu Qingli didn't know how much silver was in the bag given to them by the old man who donated the courtyard and silver that day. According to Jiang Ci, it seemed to be fifty taels. Excluding the five taels of silver used to buy clothes and daily necessities yesterday, plus Jiang Ci's tuition fee, they still had more than forty taels left. Although it was not much, it could last for a while.

But money will eventually run out, and you can’t just sit there and do nothing, so you have to make plans in advance.

Mu Qingli originally wanted to open a store or something, but she never found a suitable one. In addition, she had been on the run all the time and had no time to think about it. Now that she has settled down, everything has to get on track.

Just as she and Jiang Ci were on their way back, they inadvertently heard the conversation between two men nearby.

"Brother, I really have something to do and need to leave Dongli Town. Otherwise, I really can't bear to transfer this shop. After all, I spent a lot of time and effort on it in the first place. Besides, no matter the location or the rent, you won't be able to find another one on this street. Please think about it. I'm really anxious."

The other man waved his hand.

"Although I also like your shop, the price is still too high. I'd better take a look."

After saying this, he walked away with a look of regret on his face.

When Mu Qingli heard this, she stopped the seller who was about to turn around and go in.

"Brother, how do you transfer this shop? I want to know."

The young man turned around and saw Jiang Ci behind Mu Qingli, his expression was a little unnatural. The person in front of him was Bai Yu.

Jiang Ci looked at his fake beard which was a little crooked, and was speechless. He rolled his eyes at Bai Yu.

Bai Yu was a little confused. Why was his young master looking at him like an idiot? Wasn't that his order? Was it polite to show such obvious disdain at this time?

Wait, the direction my young master was looking at was where his mouth was. Could it be that the beard he stuck on in a hurry was crooked?

Thinking of this, he felt a little guilty and fiddled with the crooked fake beard with his hands. Unexpectedly, it became even more crooked than before. Jiang Ci couldn't help but hold his forehead.

How did this fool in front of me become the leader of the secret guards?

Mu Qingli naturally didn't notice the exchange of glances between the two, nor did she notice Bai Yu's slightly crooked beard at this time. All her attention was on the content of the conversation between Bai Yu and that person just now.